- Tank storage Mexico capacity is split between Pemex’s network of more than 70 storage and dispatch terminals, rated at about 12 million barrels of operating capacity in SENER data, and a private segment built after the 2013-2014 energy reform.
- Sempra Infrastructure runs the largest private refined products network: four terminals totalling roughly 4.6 million barrels in Veracruz, Puebla, the State of Mexico and Sinaloa.
- In September 2026 federal prosecutors announced the seizure of 59 million litres (about 371,000 barrels) of fuel at a private terminal in San José Iturbide, Guanajuato, the largest single-site fuel seizure on record in Mexico.
- The Hydrocarbons Sector Law of March 2025 replaced the Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE) with the National Energy Commission (CNE), which now issues storage permits for petroleum products.
- Bulkmatic plans to spend US$100 million in 2026 on rail-served terminals, with fuel handling planned at PesquerÃa, Hermosillo and Tula.
Mexico’s federal attorney general’s office (FGR) is holding 59 million litres of gasoline and diesel inside a private terminal in San José Iturbide, Guanajuato, in what officials call the largest single-site fuel seizure in the country’s history. On 19 September 2026 the case moved to the FGR’s organised crime unit, which says not every company linked to the stored product has proved its legal origin.
The seizure lands on a market that has never had much slack. Mexico still imports a large share of its gasoline and diesel, inventory cover is measured in days rather than weeks, and the rules governing who may store fuel were rewritten in 2025. For anyone operating, contracting or building tank storage Mexico capacity in 2026, documentation now carries as much risk as tank integrity.
Tank storage Mexico: Pemex still controls the backbone
Pemex LogÃstica operates the country’s storage and dispatch terminals, historically known as TARs and now TADs. Published counts range from 73 to 80 sites, and SENER data puts their combined operating capacity at 11.97 million barrels, against a nominal ceiling of about 30 million barrels. The marine anchors are Madero, Tuxpan and Pajaritos on the Gulf coast and Salina Cruz on the Pacific, with the 18 de Marzo terminal in Azcapotzalco serving the capital.
Inventory cover remains thin by OECD standards. SENER’s minimum storage policy, amended in 2019, held the compulsory stock obligation for gasoline and diesel at five days through 2025, and estimates published in April 2026 put effective national reserves at about 3.5 days. Pemex’s position in the Gulf also grew in 2024, when the regulator approved its US$320 million purchase of Monterra Energy’s 2.2 million barrel Tuxpan import terminal, a KKR-backed asset that authorities had closed for almost a year after a 2021 inspection. Several of these assets feature in our ranking of the top 10 tank terminals in Latin America.
Private terminal operators and capacity
Sempra Infrastructure, formerly IEnova, built the largest private refined products network after the energy reform. Its Veracruz and Valle de México terminals started commercial operations in 2021 under long-term contracts with Valero, while Puebla followed in October 2022 after a year-long regulatory shutdown.
| Terminal | Location | Capacity (barrels) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Veracruz | New Port of Veracruz | 2,120,000 | Operating since 2021 |
| Valle de México | State of Mexico | 640,000 | Operating since 2021 |
| Puebla | Huejotzingo, Puebla | 640,000 | Operating since October 2022 |
| Topolobampo | Sinaloa | 1,180,000 | Built in 2022, still listed as under development |
Capacity figures are taken from the Sempra Infrastructure energy networks portfolio, which also lists an 80,000 barrel LPG sphere terminal in Guadalajara. Chevron and Marathon Petroleum each contracted 500,000 barrels at Topolobampo when the project was announced in 2018.
Vopak Mexico covers the chemicals end of the market from Veracruz, Altamira and Coatzacoalcos, with around 213,000, 110,000 and 26,000 cubic metres respectively according to company executives in 2021. Its two-phase fuel expansion at Veracruz was designed to add close to 970,000 barrels of gasoline and diesel capacity, with Koch as the long-term offtaker. It also holds 60% of the Altamira LNG import terminal alongside Enagás, the only LNG receiving facility on Mexico’s east coast, while the Pacific side is served by projects such as ECA LNG in Baja California.
Most private capacity exists to receive imported product, and much of it originates in Texas and Louisiana. Supply chains therefore run back to the Gulf Coast tank terminals that load cargoes and rail cars bound for Mexican ports and border crossings.
Regulation: CNE permits and the FGR enforcement drive
The Hydrocarbons Sector Law (Ley del Sector Hidrocarburos), published on 18 March 2025, abolished the CRE and moved permitting to the CNE. Any tank storage Mexico project handling petroleum products needs a CNE permit, and existing permit holders must update their titles once SENER and the CNE issue implementing guidelines. Safety and environmental oversight stays with ASEA, whose standards include NOM-005-ASEA-2016 for fuel storage at service stations.
Custody versus ownership at San José Iturbide
The Guanajuato terminal is operated by Gas Natural del Noreste, part of Grupo SIMSA, and authorities secured 10 storage tanks during the search. SIMSA says it stores product owned by customers who hold their own CNE permits, and the plant resumed operations on 10 September. Gonzalo Monroy of consultancy GMEC said the operator held possession rather than ownership of the fuel, naming Pemex, ExxonMobil and rail operators Ferromex and Kansas City as clients.
Sempra’s Puebla terminal went through a similar process in 2021, when prosecutors sampled every tank and rail car and ordered a temporary closure that lasted until August 2022. The lesson for tank storage Mexico operators is direct: a third-party terminal needs import, tax and volumetric control records for every customer’s product, because enforcement targets the tank as well as the owner.
Tank storage Mexico outlook for 2026
Import volumes are the main swing factor. Argus Media expects Pemex fuel imports to fall in 2026 as the 340,000 bpd Olmeca refinery at Dos Bocas ramps up, although weak runs at the six legacy refineries keep Mexico reliant on foreign product.
New capacity is moving inland and onto rail. Bulkmatic plans to spend about US$100 million in 2026 on the first two phases of a 100 hectare terminal with 500,000 barrels of fuel capacity, and its fuel-handling sites include PesquerÃa in Nuevo León (690,000 barrels), Hermosillo in Sonora (400,000 barrels) and Tula in Hidalgo (720,000 barrels).
For developers weighing tank storage Mexico projects, the permit and traceability regime now sets the pace as much as demand does. Rail-served inland sites in Nuevo León, Sonora and Hidalgo show where new capacity is heading, and the design principles in our oil storage terminals guide apply once permits are in hand.
How much fuel storage capacity does Mexico have?
Most of Mexico’s refined products storage sits in Pemex’s network of storage and dispatch terminals, supplemented by private import terminals built after the 2013-2014 energy reform. Capacity is concentrated at Gulf coast ports such as Tuxpan, Veracruz, Altamira and Pajaritos, plus inland hubs around Mexico City. By international standards, inventory cover is short, measured in days rather than the weeks held in the US or Europe.
Who are the main private tank terminal operators in Mexico?
Sempra Infrastructure operates the largest private refined products network, with terminals in Veracruz, the State of Mexico, Puebla and Topolobampo. Vopak runs chemical and fuel terminals at Veracruz, Altamira and Coatzacoalcos and co-owns the Altamira LNG import terminal with Enagás. Rail-linked logistics groups such as Bulkmatic are adding inland fuel-handling capacity.
Which regulator issues storage permits in Mexico?
Since the Hydrocarbons Sector Law took effect in 2025, the National Energy Commission (CNE) issues permits for storing petroleum products, taking over from the former Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE). SENER sets energy policy and planning, while ASEA oversees industrial safety and environmental protection at storage facilities.
Why do Mexican authorities inspect and seize fuel at private terminals?
Federal prosecutors target illegally sourced fuel, including stolen product and imports declared under false tariff classifications to avoid fuel taxes. Inspections focus on traceability: import permits, tax records and volumetric control data showing the origin and ownership of every tank’s contents. Terminals storing third-party product can face closures or seizures if customers cannot document their fuel.
What is driving new tank storage investment in Mexico?
Reliance on imported gasoline and diesel, thin national inventory cover and growing rail links between the US Gulf Coast and inland Mexican markets are the main drivers. New capacity is increasingly planned at rail-served inland sites near industrial centres rather than only at ports. CNE permitting and traceability requirements shape how quickly projects move.